After Effects
by TayLynn
Summary: The after effects of Claire throwing herself off of the ferris wheel at the end of season 4. sylar tries to make amends with the infamous cheerleader he caused so much pain to but claire seems to have a heart of stone for the serial killer.


**I know I know, I keep starting new sylaire stories but I have a pretty good idea where I'm going with this one. The Beautiful Girl one will have another chapter soon, I am just stuck as to where to go with it in the next chapter. and the world of revenge one is on hiatus.**

**_Remember, reviews keep me going!_**

The world had been watching her every move, the camera's never leaving her as she hurled herself off of that Ferris wheel, revealing to the world the hidden truth about specials.

Claire's motives were clear, she wanted to stop hiding. But every action has a consequence.

Sylar was sulking around the carnival, watching the damage slowly die down until the carnival was all but deserted.

Or so he thought.

He would recognize her anywhere, even from the farther off distance he was standing at. She was leaning against the popcorn stand, her face buried in her hands. He could hear loud and clearly her muffled sobs.

Sylar was drawn to her automatically since day one and couldn't help but to move forward towards her.

Claire didn't hear him approach her with his silent footsteps. It wasn't until he cleared his throat that she jumped a little, surprised. Her green eyes filled with unwavering tears darted up and locked on Sylar, narrowing quickly.

"Sylar." She spat, the word full of hatred. Last thing she wanted was to see him.

Sylar watched her glare at him, the hatred towards him easily visible on her flawless face. He wanted to comfort her, to tell her what she did was beyond extraordinary…

"Why are you crying?" he demanded, then smirked. "Did you break a nail?"

But instead he acted like an ass. He felt bad as the words carelessly tumbled out of his mouth, but pushed it aside. Why did he care so much about one person's feelings?

Claire's eyes never left his. "Do you have any sympathy for people in that cold heartless body of yours?" She then laughed quietly. "Of course not."

Sylar realized from her response he had upset her, but he couldn't just leave it at that, could he?

Of course not. It was Sylar.

"Where's your dad?" He questioned, cocking his head to the side like he always does. "Picking up the pieces of the mess you made again, Claire bear?"

She went rigid all over hearing him use her father's nickname for her come out of his mouth.

Claire stood up brushing past Sylar. "Go to hell."

Sylar turned and realized she was walking away from him. As if he was going to let that happen. His hand flew out and locked around her wrist pulling her back.

She whirled around to face him, face seething with rage. "Unless you're going to cut open my skull again, I suggest you let me go."

"As tempting as that sounds, that's not what I'm here for."

"Then what?"

"To annoy you."

She snorted before rolling her eyes. "Well congratulations, you're doing a fine job." Claire jerked her wrist away and was surprised that Sylar let her.

He stood there motionless as he towered over her small frame. "Hey Claire, if it helps I thought you were great…" He felt nervous and her judging eyes made it worse. "I mean, the Ferris wheel thing. It is heroic and sets things into motion."

Sylar wanted to hit himself for just saying that out loud and to Claire. He sounded like his old self. The nerdy watchmaker he once was.

Claire's laugh startled him. It was unexpected and perfect. But the look on her face told him she was making fun of him. She looked up at him to see a flash of anger in those big brown eyes but she didn't care.

"Yeah, because that's exactly why I did it." She turned and started walking away from him.

He wanted to follow her, to fall into step beside her and to be in her presence longer but he held himself back. The feeling he felt while watching her go was indescribable. Something like sadness.

* * *

><p>Noah searched desperately for Claire. After throwing herself off of the Ferris wheel, he seemed to lose track of her whereabouts when he was busy handling the media. The moment he turned away from the cameras, she was gone. A feeling of dread crept up into his stomach. Was she already being targeted?<p>

He left the camera's hastily running around the now deserted carnival for her. When he couldn't find her, the dread quickly turned into fear.

"Claire!" He yelled, loud enough he was sure anyone within the carnival would easily hear.

No response besides the heavy beating of his own heart. He tried again, and again. Pacing back and forth, shaking with fear. A million thoughts flashed through his mind. Claire kidnapped, Claire ran away, Sylar took Claire… all unsettling thoughts that just made him worry more.

"Would you stop screaming?" A voice startled him out of his thoughts. "It's like a bomb going off right by my ear."

Noah turned, instantly recognizing that voice while his hands gripped the gun held by his waist. He pulled it out and aimed, shooting without hesitation.

Sylar being caught off guard and completely surprised embraced the bullet head on as it pierced through his shoulder. The impact almost knocking him off his feet. He cursed, blinking in surprise before eyes darting down to his shoulder. Blood spilled out slowly and Sylar watched as the bullet dislodged itself from his skin and fell to the floor. When he had turned back to Noah his face a mask of anger, the wound was already healed.

"Well that was rude." His voice held a hint of amusement as he smirked at Noah.

Noah stepped forward, gun still held up pointing at Sylar's head. "Where's Claire?"

"Claire who?"

"Don't play dumb. Where is she?"

Sylar brought one finger up to his chin, thinking. He snapped his fingers after a few seconds, his voice booming. "Ah! Claire Bennet, your feisty little daughter." His voice dropped down becoming more teasing. "How could I forget the girl whose head I sliced open and yet, a victim of mine who still lived."

That comment hit Noah and he began to charge forward at him, fist raised. Sylar held out one hand, immobilizing him with his telekinesis.

"Noah Noah Noah, what a temper you have. You might want to keep that in check before you tempt me to cause some physical harm to you."

"As if you don't want to." Noah said between clenched teeth.

Sylar laughed remaining surprisingly calm in Noah's presence. "You're right, it's very tempting but no." His voice dries of amusement and instead is replaced with sincerity. "I'm changed."

Now it was Noah who laughed and Sylar was startled by the fact at how evil his laugh sounded. He was beginning to think Noah was nothing but evil. And who was he to talk?

"Listening to your own lies again, I see." Noah said between laughs.

Sylar's calmness quickly faded with Noah laughing at him. His face contorted into a fit of rage, reddening all over. He outstretched his hand, cutting off Noah's air supply. Noah started gasping for breath and Sylar smiled enjoying seeing someone suffer. As quickly as he thought it, he instantly felt scared because it was a mere sign of his old self creeping up through the surface.

Sylar released both holds on Noah and he dropped to the ground, gasping for air.

Noah clutched at his chest, placing a palm over his racing heart remaining quiet until his breathing returned to normal.

Brushing the dirt off of him, he stood facing Sylar. "You call that changing? You nearly killed me."

"You baited me!" Sylar yelled sounding and feeling like a whiny five year old.

Noah shrugged, bored and amused. "You're weak, Sylar. That's the thing."

Sylar wanted to punch his arrogant face but held his clenched hands at his side. Noah always knew how to get to him, how to make him feel like shit, and how to actually make him feel weak.

Knowing he wouldn't win, Sylar backed away wanting to get as far away from Noah as he could.

"I'm leaving, I'm sick of your shit." He said turning away.

"Wait!" Noah yelled after him. "Where's Claire?"

He didn't turn or answer him. His question was one he had too. So what now? He was off to watch over the cheerleader, the only living person he cared about.

* * *

><p>Claire was still crying on her way home, wait… where was home? Her college wasn't exactly close by neither did she really want to go there and her dad's small apartment was completely out of the question. She really didn't want to have to deal with her father.<p>

But there was Peter's apartment.

She turned in the direction of Peter's, wanting to get out of the cold and cry on his shoulder. She couldn't help but feel everyone was staring at her as she brushed past people on the sidewalk. Her thoughts were confirmed right as people did stop and stare. When she caught them in the act and her eyes met theirs, they turned away quickly scurrying down the street.

Leaving the indestructible cheerleader alone.

The feeling of loneliness wasn't the thing that scared her. It was the fact of the heavy breathing and footsteps coming from behind her. Claire stopped and slowly turned around expecting to come face to face with a follower. But no one was there. Relieved, she continued on until she heard the same noises again. She turned around for the second time and still no one was there. Claire felt stupid for freaking out over nothing. Obviously the Ferris Wheel incident was already getting to her head. She was hearing things, her imagination running wild.

Claire kept walking ignoring the constant heaving breathing and footsteps as if they didn't exist. It wasn't until she was about to turn the corner that a strong hand grabbed her arm, pulling her back. The sudden warm unexpected contact of another person's flesh on hers made her gasp and fear began to set in. She reacted by balling her small hand into a fist and swinging hard. Her hand made contact with a face and she heard some low grumbled curses escape from the person who was holding her back.

"Gosh damnit Claire, it's me." That familiar huskier voice breathed in her ear.

Claire tensed all over when she realized who the person was. Sylar. She had had two encounters with him today. Too many for a lifetime let alone one day.

Claire opened her mouth to scream but Sylar held up one finger silencing her. "Don't scream. You're being followed."

"What?" She breathed startled and surprised.

"You really didn't think your actions would have consequences, did you Claire?" He smirked.

Claire realized in that moment how close Sylar was to her. Too close. He had her back pinned against the side of a building, his body shielding hers from plain sight, his hands on her shoulder, his whole body only a foot away, and his face inches away from hers.

Her face morphed from shock to anger quickly. She didn't care if she was being followed or not, being this close to the man that caused her so much pain for years drove her to her breaking point.

Claire pushed him away from her with all the force she could muster up, yelling as she did so. "Stay away from me!"

Sylar was pissed. Not at her pushing him away… he expected that, but for her blowing their covers. He could hear the agents run in their direction and it was only a matter of time before they saw them as they rounded the corner.

Claire was fuming, glaring at him with so much hatred he didn't even think was possible. If looks could kill, he'd be dead by now.

She wasn't aware of her own danger so Sylar took charge of the situation.

"Claire, listen to me…"

"No, you arrogant bastard!"

Her loud shrilling screams weren't helping matters. He was running out of time.

"I'm going to pick you up-"

"Come near me and I will stab a pencil through your eye again." She seethed, body shaking with anger.

Sylar knew he was wasting his time trying to talk to her. He had to save them… save her. He was sure his next action would actually cost him a pencil in the eye but he didn't care. He closed the distance between him and Claire in less than a second, grabbing her by the shoulders and pulling her against him. His movements were too quick for Claire to even begin to protest as they shot up in the sky with insane speed lost in the cold New York City air.

Claire screamed as she knew she was in the arms of Sylar and he was what… abducting her? But her voice was lost by the speed they were going and her voice went unnoticed.

She kept screaming never letting up and Sylar became annoyed. Even if the air cut off her sound, he could still hear it. Soon enough though, the air around them became less forceful against them as they dropped to the ground.

As soon as Claire's feet hit the ground, she jerked away from Sylar and he let her, amused. Did she ever run out of spunk?

"I am going to put a knife in your kill spot, I swear to God you-"

Sylar held up a hand silencing her. "Save it, Claire. We both know I just saved your ass."

Her voice rose higher than he thought was possible. "Saved me? You abducted me!"

He snorted which just infuriated Claire more. She hated how he found everything amusing. "Oh please, I brought you to Peter's apartment."

Claire finally stopped yelling which made Sylar breathe a sigh of relief. She looked around at her surroundings. The taxis and cars never stopped running up and down the road, the old apartment building that blended in with its surroundings, the familiar street surrounded by other apartment buildings. This was actually Peter's apartment.

Claire turned to face Sylar. "How do you know where Peter lives?"

Sylar felt as if he was cornered. Of course he should have known she'd ask that question, and she wouldn't necessarily like his answer.

"I know where he lives… because of-" He cut off; afraid to finish but Claire's narrowing eyes forced him to continue. "Because of Nathan."

If he thought her eyes were like daggers before, he was clearly mistaken because the look she was giving him now was far worse.

Claire's face was contorted into blazing anger and sadness. It looked like she was about to cry from sadness and from how mad she was and he didn't blame her. He killed both her biological parents… he deserved every ounce of her wrath.

"I can't believe you."Her voice is barely audible as tears swell her eyes and she quickly turns away from him hoping he hasn't noticed. But the look on his face shows her he has. He's sympathetic and remains quiet knowing no matter what he says will only make matters worse.

Claire hastily brushes the tears off her face and turns around, the glare still present. "Leave Sylar and never come back. I don't want to see you ever again. Stay the hell out of my life."

Sylar stares blankly back at her before slowly shaking his head. He looks reluctant and sad, his voice strong but calm and smooth. "I'm sorry Claire, but I can't do that."


End file.
